Pettson's Inventions Deluxe

Teacher Review

‘Pettson’s Inventions’ is an app which tests and develops children’s skills in creativity and logic by solving puzzles. It centres on, old man Pettson, his cat Findus and a series of contraptions. The aim is to complete the contraptions by adding in the missing parts to make the inventions work and make the creature happy. The deluxe version has a total of 66 stages and as the puzzles are completed further challenges are unlocked. There is huge appeal to children's imagination as the puzzles feature a variety of scenarios such as making an old lady laugh, or, getting a mouse to the cheese and are often completed by scaring a monster or dropping a weight to make a creature fly through the air.

There are options to change the language, turn the music off, to be given visual clues and to change the difficulty by taking away redundant components from the selection shown. As the contraptions are completed, stars are awarded and gradually further challenges are unlocked.

One of the key features of the app is that it supports multi touch and that in ‘vs’ mode the screen is split so that two players can play against each other or against the clock. These features are so often missing from other educational apps and it means that ‘Pettsons Inventions Deluxe’ is ideal when two or more children are sharing an Ipad but want to participate equally in the task. The app also has the benefit of having no 'in-app purchases'.

The only negative of the app are that there is little guidance when struggling to place the components other than that they flick back to the side. This could result in children getting frustrated and quitting the task. However verbal feedback and gold stars are awarded when contraptions are completed correctly. There is also little in the way of introduction or explanation of the app though it is quite simple to use and discover all the features.

The app is certainly engaging and my 8 year old was keen to complete the tasks and enjoyed the challenge of selecting and placing the correct components. The educational aspect would probably link best to science and technology topics and certainly could be used to explore concepts of forces or cams and pulleys. The app could also be used as a starting point for a design project where children make their own invention to suit a particular purpose. I would suggest that the app is particularly suitable to KS2 children as it can become quite frustrating if you cannot find the correct place for the components and some of the inventions are a little complicated for younger learners. ‘Pettson’s Inventions Deluxe’ certainly captures the imagination and is a great app to fire creativity and develop problem solving skills either independently or as a group activity.

Screenshots

Developer Description

The ultimate Pettson compilations app! Compete in the brand new VS mode, beat a friend or the clock!

Containing most inventions from Pettson's Inventions 1 and 2 for a smashing total of 66 stages including 6 completely new.

Help old man Pettson and his cat Findus build their amazing inventions! Which of the objects should be included and where do they fit in the machinery? Drag and drop the parts to their right spot and watch the invention go! A fun and pedagogic app that teaches logic and stimulates creativity for children of all ages.

- Compete against a friend or the clock in VS mode.
- A massive 66 ingenious inventions to solve!
- 6 brand new tricky inventions!
- New co-op friendly layout.
- Get help from visual instructions (optional).
- Possibility to increase difficulty by including fake parts in the inventions.
- Voices in English, German and Swedish.
- No in-app purchases.